Another diesel for Ford Power Products: second Power Stroke added to product line; 2.8 L from South America rated 135 hp - Industry News - Brief Article

Diesel Progress North American Edition, May, 2002 by Mike Brezonick

Continuing its expansion as a supplier of industrial engines, Ford Power Products has announced the addition of a second diesel engine to its product line. Beginning in 2003, the Dearborn, Mich., company will offer a 2.8 L Power Stroke diesel engine, which joins a 7.3 L Power Stroke that was added to the Ford range in 2001.

The Power Stroke engines are manufactured by International Truck & Engine Corp. at plants in South America. Under an agreement originally between Ford and Maxion International Motores, Canoas, Brazil, Ford was granted North American marketing rights to the engines, which are used in automotive applications in South America and Europe. Following the original agreement, Maxion was purchased by International, which had owned a 50 percent stake in Maxion at the time of the Ford agreement.

"This engine was part of our original agreement with Maxion," said Larry Maccani, program manager, on-high-way and diesel engines at Ford Power Products. "It's an engine that has been in production and has been used in the Ford Ranger truck in South America and the Land Rover in Europe.

"It's a derivative of a 2.5 L that has been around for a period of time and it has a good reputation in South America."

To be marketed as the Power Stroke ISD-428, the engine is an in-line, four-cylinder with a bore x stroke of 93 mm x 102.5 mm and an overall displacement of 2.78 L. It features direct mechanical injection and incorporates a Bosch injection pump.

As it is an automotive derivative engine, it also features charge-air cooling and a variable nozzle turbocharger. It is currently undergoing emissions certification testing in the U.S. Ford Power Products anticipates it will meet the Tier 2 emissions standards.

Ratings will range from approximately 65 hp at 1400 rpm to 135 hp at 3800 rpm, with a peak torque of 276 lb.ft. at 1400 rpm. The engine will target a range of industrial markets, and will be available in base engine, power unit and gen-set configurations. It could also be marketed toward some specialty vehicle applications, "We're going to give people who have used our spark-ignited engines a diesel alternative in that horsepower range," said Maccani. "That's one of the things we were hoping to accomplish. It will fit into the same envelope as some of our spark-ignited engines, so people will now be able to have a diesel and spark-ignited option, with both being from Ford."

Ford Power Products' gasoline and gaseous-fueled engine line ranges from 25 to 174 hp and its diesel offerings now go from 65 to 270 hp. "We think this is going to expand our customer base," Maccani added. "It gives us a chance to go into some places where perhaps we couldn't fulfill the customer needs in the past and give them something we couldn't offer before. It's going to hopefully expand the horizon for us."

The engine is built at International's facility in Cordoba, Argentina. Prototype units will be available on a limited basis later this year, with general availability scheduled for 2003.

The 2.8 L engine is the second step in Ford Power Products' diesel expansion that began with the acquisition of the sales rights for the 7.3 L Power Stroke last year. That engine has been displayed at several trade shows and pilot units are being sent to distributors. Early pilot applications have mainly been in stationary applications such as irrigation, and one unit has operated over 1000 hours with no problems on an irrigation pump, Maccani said. "That program is growing as we anticipated," said Maccani. "We're very confident with what we've got."

CIRCLE 136 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Power Stroke Specs

Displ.     2.8 L
Cylinders  I-4
Hp         135
Torque     276 lb.ft.
Combust    DI
Injection  Mechanical
Turbo      Variable
           Nozzle

Information provided by the manufacturer